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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Simple answer

Typical rent is $1,055 a month.

Tuscaloosa is a city in Alabama. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $51,464 a year.

Is Tuscaloosa affordable?See benefits in Tuscaloosa
People
111,038
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$1,055
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$51,464
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$255,500
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$1,165
Tuscaloosa, AL HUD Metro FMR Area

Tuscaloosa, Alabama has about 111,038 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $255,500.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Tuscaloosa County is $1,165 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Tuscaloosa. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Tuscaloosa, AL metro area, prices sit at 87.7 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Alabama taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.5% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Tuscaloosa's exact store tax.

Some places in Alabama add a local wage tax. In 2023 the state average was about 0.07% of income. That is not a Tuscaloosa bill.

In July 2026, a typical Alabama home paid 16.40¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Tuscaloosa's bill.

EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Alabama in the table we use.

Among 290 places we list in Alabama with a rent figure, 80 have higher typical rent than Tuscaloosa.

Nearby places

EBT nearby

USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.

Find SNAP stores near TuscaloosaWhat EBT can buy in Alabama

Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.

Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Alabama

Bigger places in Alabama

Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.